Tag: witches

Being connected to social media is like being plugged into the thoughts and feelings of millions of people simultaneously.

That should be and often is a very good thing, but d it can be overwhelming at times.

Unfortunately, Christmas has become a time of great pressure, both financially and emotionally with people feeling they have to go to greater and greater lengths to buy THE must have gadget or replace all the soft furnishings before the relatives arrive.

In the few short months since the first book in the Legend of the Lost trilogy has been published, listening to the feedback of readers from around the world, what has really struck me is the fact that the right books hold a special place in people’s hearts. This has nothing to do with the cost or the conspicuousness of the purchase to keep up with the peer group. It is mostly to do with the reading experience.And I am so pleased to hear tales of people reading this book together.

They are investing that most important resource that all children especially respond to, time; time invested; time out.

Nothing gives me greater delight than busy Dads telling me that they downloaded it on their device and are now reading it at bed time; grandparents who have sent copies to their beloved grandchildren far away with messages of love or Moms first taking time out to read it for themselves then repeating the process with their children having created dedicated reading time, reading purely for pleasure, together.

In a recent interview with the publishers Book Guild, I outlined that igniting imaginations was one of my aims and it delights me that this is happening.

So as you succumb to the inevitable stresses and strains of the festive period, consider this quaint tradition from Iceland and, if you’re feeling bewildered or overwhelmed, take to bed with a good book.

Images of witches have appeared in various forms throughout history, from snaggle-toothed, hunched, hairy, wart-nosed women huddling over a cauldron of boiling liquid to cackling crones riding through the sky on brooms wearing pointy hats and capes.

Witches certainly have had a long history with Halloween.

Legends tell of witches gathering twice a year when the seasons changed, on April 30 – the eve of May Day and the other was on the eve of October 31 – All Hallow’s Eve.

The witches would congregate on these nights, arriving on broomsticks, to celebrate a party hosted by the devil. Superstitions told of witches casting spells on unsuspecting people, transforming themselves into different forms and causing other magical mischief.

It was said that to meet a witch you had to put your clothes on wrong side out and you had to walk backwards on Halloween night. Then at midnight you would see a witch.

The black cat has long been associated with witches. Many superstitions have evolved about cats. It was believed that witches could change into cats. Some people also believed that cats were the spirits of the dead and acted as the witches’ familiar or bonded animal partner.

One of the best known superstitions is that if a black cat was to cross your path you would have to turn around and go back because many people believe if you continued bad luck or even death would strike you. Yet in some village cultures black cats are seen as tokens of good luck, quite the opposite.

In pop culture, witches have been both dark and frightening but also a benevolent, nose-twitching, suburban housewife, an awkward teenager learning to control her powers and a trio of charmed sisters battling the forces of evil. So the messages have been pretty mixed up.

The real history of witches, however, is dark and, often for the witches, deadly.

The early depictions of witches were people who practiced witchcraft, who used magic spells and called upon spirits for help or to bring about change.

Probably because of the competition with organised religion and conflicting belief which undermined many pagan belief systems, systems, witches were depicted as doing the Devil’s work. But in reality, many, however, were simply natural healers or so-called “wise women” whose choice of profession and often healing practice using natural materials, was misunderstood.

Witches are found the world over, as the Legend of the Lostseries explores, bringing the Werewytch and her minions to the attention of unwitting readers.

Modern-day witches of the Western World still struggle to shake their historical stereotype it seems, try as they may.

Most are said to practice Wicca and it is now an official religion in the North Americas. And they aren’t actually just women, many men identify as Wiccan too.

Wiccans famously avoid evil and the appearance of evil at all costs. Their motto is to “harm none,” and they strive to live a peaceful, tolerant and balanced life in tune with nature and humanity.

Many modern-day witches still perform witchcraft, but there’s seldom anything sinister about it. Their spells and incantations are often derived from their Book of Shadows, a 20th-century collection of wisdom and witchcraft, and can be compared to the act of prayer in other religions.

A modern-day witchcraft potion is more likely to be an herbal remedy for the flu instead of a hex to harm someone.

Today’s witchcraft spells are usually used to stop someone from doing evil or harming themselves. Ironically, while it’s probable some historical witches used witchcraft for evil purposes, many may have embraced it for healing or protection against the immorality they were accused of.

SO, as you make your outfit choices for this witching season, consider that, like many things in life and most things in the faerie domain, witches and their association with the darker aspects of Halloween is complicated. There has to be some truth to the darker side of the folklore,. But if you accept that then you have to accept the notion of the benign and kindly witch simply trying to put those powers to good use in the local community.

The Legend of the Lostseries has some fine examples of witches spanning generations and corners of the world.

They too, are not always what they at first appear to be.

Or are they…?

*To celebrate Halloween, in honour of the witches of Legend of the Lost, we will give a signed and dedicated copy of the first book in the trilogy away to a person chosen at random from readers who leave a comment below or who like and re-tweet this post on twitter or Instagram.

I crave the whole experience of the look and the feel of the cover art and even the smell of the freshly printed pages.

I like to interact with the book. I’m afraid to say I make notes and mark pages, highlight passages that really speak to me. For me, my copy becomes something new and different as a result of my reading experience.

But then I have friends who are horrified by this. They treat their books like treasures or relics and virtually don white gloves to read them.

Some have been known to buy hard and soft copies, one for their collection and the other for the reading part.

Latterly, many people buy and store their books on their devices, especially if they do a lot of reading on the go.

Well, whatever your preferences, Legend of the Lostis available in a range of formats, from the traditional physical book with that sensual purple cover that has been such a big hit, through to the Kindle edition, available to read instantly from the Amazon store.

Personally, I admire the approach taken by this reader:

“We had to have the hard copy and wanted Ian to sign it. That now takes pride of place and we’ve bought Kindle versions for our friends so we can share the experience.”

But how you mix up your options to suit your lifestyle and preferences is entirely down to you.

To celebrate the launch of the Kindle version, however, here’s another brief extract from Legend of the Lost.

It’s a key moment for Holly and Savannah which changes everything for them both, forever.

We’ve chosen carefully to avoid spoilers, which those of you who have read the book will know, isn’t easy:

“Just for fun, she had brought the scarlet robe with her, hidden in a carrier bag. She pulled it about her as she sat down on the flattest rock to wait, being sure to tuck the bag away in her pocket.

She wasn’t there for long before the figure of her friend appeared from the seaward side of the beach, looking radiant in a long ocean blue dress and golden hair band. She smiled as she saw Holly, who stood up to greet her.

“Don’t you find that this is always a little bit of a blowy spot?” Holly said, forgetting for a moment that Savannah had no spoken words.

Savannah smiled, looked deep into Holly’s eyes and then took her hand and led her towards the cliff-face. It looked as though they were headed for a dead end, but it must have been an optical illusion caused by the way the boulders were lying.

Soon, much to Holly’s surprise, they were at a part of the beach that she hadn’t noticed was accessible before. Here, their footprints seemed to be the very first, not just for this tide but ever.

After a short walk, they approached what looked like a solid rock wall, covered in ivy and seagrass. Savannah reached forward and drew the grassy and leafy covering aside like living curtains. She then gestured for Holly to follow her inside.

What greeted them as they stepped, blinking, into a cool, cavernous, salty-smelling space simply took Holly’s breath away.”